Hospital Stay

My father is in the hospital right now. He comes from a Mexican family, so of course we ALL decide to come visit him at all hours of the day, in huge groups, at all times. People have to sit on other peoples lap and some on my dad’s hospital bed; gosh we might as well be snuggled up in his swanky hospital sheets! We make the room a party, we are loud, we laugh because we have to in order to camouflage the distressing nature of the hospital, just the character of us South of the border folk, to be loud and in large groups, even when it might not be the most appropriate time or place. And here we are making the B side of this hospital room full of love. Side A, patient Doug, getting ready to have his leg amputated, is ALONE. In the past 4 days he has not had one single visitor. Oh I think he had a phone call from a friend, (another characteristic of the Mexican family is to eves drop and know about everyone’s business) made him elated. One phone call that’s all that Doug the man with the soon to be amputated leg gets….… In my heart I am searching for a way to let him know some compassion without being overbearing. I finally peek my head through the flimsy curtain that divides patient A from patient B and give this man a smile, a look, a something or other to make him happy. Why should patient B have more love than patient A? I am successful!! I catch his gaze and I give him my most sincere smile. Surprising what I saw. His eyes light up and his lips curl up into what looked like a crescent moon smile, not too showy but enough to tell me I just made his day. A smile… a smile…. Something clicked in my heart! I understand right then and there, love is where it’s at. Love for not just your family, love for the family that connects you to life, which is every single person that you see. We’re born, we live, some reproduce, and then we die. Those are things that all humans can say they ultimately phase inevitably. Then if we ALL go through such important things together why do we feel like we’re so different than one another? Why can’t we smile and offer a hug to a “stranger” when we are so quick to hug one of our family members? We are all here for one thing and one thing only. To love. So why don’t we love each other as much as the next guy. All everyone really yearns for in their soul is to be accepted and loved, so why don’t we take the rains and love one person at a time. Not just your lover, or your best friend, but the neighbor you never say a word to, or the stranger that is standing next to you in an elevator. I guarantee the joy you get in your heart from sincerely smiling at someone is something overwhelmingly beautiful. I can’t even imagine what a hug or a stroke of love would do. Stay positive, stay joyful, stay blessed!!